Artist upstaged by back-up musician

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Inspired by the Smog show last night wherein Bill Callahan was totally upstaged by Jim White's kinda Rip Taylor-esque appearance and unusually flamboyant and physical drumming style (lots of pulling his arm waaaaaay up in the air before hitting a snare, touching his face between beats for no apparent reason (though possibly to smooth his moustache), etc.).

When I saw John Vanderslice a couple of years ago, he was also upstaged by his drummer, a very tall, lanky, and energetic guy who had a small set (in number of drums) with one cymbal on a very high stand so that he had to reach way up over his head to hit the cymbal.

― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 5 August 2005 13:40 (twenty years ago)

Doesn't have to just be solo artists with back-up musicians, could be bands where the "star" of the band is upstaged by another "less important" band member.

― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 5 August 2005 13:41 (twenty years ago)

jim white's always like that.

i saw dead meadow last night and the drummer definitely carries that band (tho the other guys aren't slouches per se).

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 5 August 2005 13:44 (twenty years ago)

Lou Reed/Robert Quine

― Fetchboy (Felcher), Friday, 5 August 2005 14:03 (twenty years ago)

Was the drummer from John Vanderslice the guy from Helmet and Battles?

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 5 August 2005 14:04 (twenty years ago)

I have no idea who he was.

― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 5 August 2005 14:05 (twenty years ago)

This was after "Time Travel is Lonely" I believe.

― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 5 August 2005 14:06 (twenty years ago)

Was the drummer from John Vanderslice the guy from Helmet and Battles?

john stanier played with that vanderslice geek? what a waste...

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 5 August 2005 14:26 (twenty years ago)

Was the drummer from John Vanderslice the guy from Helmet and Battles?

This was Christopher McGuire, who's also played in 12 Rods and Kid Dakota.

― Daniel Cohen (dayan), Friday, 5 August 2005 14:28 (twenty years ago)

Whoever he was was vastly more entertaining than Vanderslice.

― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 5 August 2005 14:29 (twenty years ago)

I realize that doesn't reduce the pool of potential suspects by much though.

― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 5 August 2005 14:30 (twenty years ago)

exactly.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 5 August 2005 14:32 (twenty years ago)

I only asked because when I saw Battles the drummer was exactly as described, though he's more muscular than "lanky". His cymbal was really high up and every time he hit it it looked like he was shooting a jumpshot or something.

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 5 August 2005 14:34 (twenty years ago)

Keith Moon.

― duque, Friday, 5 August 2005 14:37 (twenty years ago)

Drummers who sing along the lyrics to keep time.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Friday, 5 August 2005 16:05 (twenty years ago)

are these drummers just copying Tad Hutchison of the Young Fresh Fellows, with the super-high cymbal? Whether or no, fine idea. Most entertaining.

― pauls00, Friday, 5 August 2005 18:09 (twenty years ago)

Matthew Sweet < Robert Quine + Richard Lloyd

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Friday, 5 August 2005 20:40 (twenty years ago)

Jim White is an amazing drummer.

― cdwill, Friday, 5 August 2005 20:41 (twenty years ago)

>This was Christopher McGuire, who's also played in 12 Rods and Kid Dakota.

Ah, i saw Kid Dakota support Low in Edinburgh earlier this year, and he was an entertaining (and very good) drummer. He'd rifle around in his cymbal bag every now and then, changing cymbals like a DJ changes records. Also had a neat trick of playing with a big bundle of sticks. Great stuff.

― Michael Lambert (Michael Lambert), Friday, 5 August 2005 20:42 (twenty years ago)

I went to one of the "Short List" show tapings and had the misfortune of sitting through Damien Rice who's backup singer was 1000x better than Rice was.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Friday, 5 August 2005 21:18 (twenty years ago)

"whose"

fuck I can't type today

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Friday, 5 August 2005 21:18 (twenty years ago)

Also Mel Gaynor >>>> every other member of Simple Minds put together.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Friday, 5 August 2005 21:19 (twenty years ago)

Faith Hill was upstaged by her drummer on her last tour. It was like, who is this guy and how is he getting away with all this unbelievably awesome drumming in a pop/country setting?

― Dee Mystery, Saturday, 6 August 2005 03:49 (twenty years ago)

Janiece Jameson >>>> Annie Lennox

(Eurythmics - only saw them once in 1987 (come on, I was 15), and the only thing I remember is that their excellent backing singer did ALL the hard parts and high notes.)

― StanM (StanM), Saturday, 6 August 2005 07:28 (twenty years ago)

drummer >>> everyone else in Bloc Party.

― StanM (StanM), Saturday, 6 August 2005 07:31 (twenty years ago)

Pat > Rivers (weezer)

― huell howser (chaki), Saturday, 6 August 2005 09:11 (twenty years ago)

In general: anyone who's purdier, more naked and/or more female than the lead person?

Queens Of The Stone Age: Nick Oliveri (in the nude on stage) > Josh Homme

Smashing Pumpkins: D'Arcy > Corgy

Ash: Charlotte Hatherley > Tim Wheeler

Dandy Warhols: Zia McCabe (when she used to take her top off) > Courtney Taylor-Taylor

Velvet Underground: Nico > everyone else (but everyone else > Moe Tucker?)

― StanM (StanM), Saturday, 6 August 2005 12:20 (twenty years ago)

Paul McCartney's drummer

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Saturday, 6 August 2005 13:16 (twenty years ago)

Pat Benatar's drummer, back in the early/mid 80s.

― Truckdrivin' Buddha (Rock Hardy), Saturday, 6 August 2005 14:36 (twenty years ago)

(He looked and acted like Vyvyan from The Young Ones.)

― Truckdrivin' Buddha (Rock Hardy), Saturday, 6 August 2005 14:39 (twenty years ago)

I think that she married that guy, if I'm not mistaken.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Saturday, 6 August 2005 15:43 (twenty years ago)

I could not stop staring at the keyboard player from the Shout Out Louds when they opened for the Futureheads at the Bowery earlier this year.

― Maciej (Maciej), Saturday, 6 August 2005 18:24 (twenty years ago)

five years pass...

I went to one of the "Short List" show tapings and had the misfortune of sitting through Damien Rice who's backup singer was 1000x better than Rice was.

Can answer this question finally. The backup singer was Lisa Hannigan.

― Stockhausen's Ekranoplan Quartet (Elvis Telecom), Friday, 21 January 2011 04:50 (fourteen years ago)

THIS DRUMMER IS AT THE WRONG GIG

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Friday, 21 January 2011 04:56 (fourteen years ago)

Curtis Knight looks on in bemusement while his backing guitarist attempts to remove some food stuck between his teeth:

http://www.earlyhendrix.com/images/stories/cheetah/pic3.jpg

― B-Boy Bualadh Bos (ecuador_with_a_c), Friday, 21 January 2011 13:39 (fourteen years ago)

Don't know about the "artist" part but there would be a little upstaging going on here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DVbt5W-DNc

― ellaguru, Friday, 21 January 2011 21:48 (fourteen years ago)

The Pat > Rivers Weezer post just don't add up when the fucker's on lead guitar these days

― Morcheeba, simply happening. (PaulTMA), Saturday, 22 January 2011 03:41 (fourteen years ago)

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